A peaceful demonstration is planned for GPs in the West Midlands tomorrow as more than 100 surgeries are set to close in 2023.

The move is to put more emphasis on the need to “save” operations in the region, with 106 locations closed across the country last year.

GPs from Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, North and South Staffordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Telford, Solihull, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire and Herefordshire will be attending the peaceful demonstration – taking place in Birmingham city centre.

In a show of solidarity between GP staff and those they help, they will be joined by patients feeling the effects of neglected general practice in their communities – and together they are calling on politicians of all parties to make fixing general practice an urgent matter. priority.

According to the group. workload has increased steadily in general practices over the past decade, while the GP workforce has been significantly depleted.

There are currently 1,900 fewer doctors compared to 2016, despite the Government’s promise to recruit 6,000 additional doctors in its 2016 manifesto.

Last year alone, 106 practices closed their doors and GPs are leaving the profession in droves due to unsustainable workloads.

Dr Manu Agrawal, GP in Stafford and group secretary of the West Midlands LMC, said: “General medicine should be at the heart of every community – keeping patients safe and providing a strong foundation for the rest of the NHS. But a decade of neglect and underinvestment, along with excessive regulation, micromanagement and bureaucracy broke the whole system. As the GP workforce shrinks and practices close across the country.

“GPs across the West Midlands are speaking with one voice today. We are calling on the government to work with us and commit to tackling the current GP crisis.

“We would encourage as many people as possible to come and talk to us, it’s an important issue and we hope to make a change.”

Dr Gillian Farmer, GP at Worcestershire LMC Secretary and GP said: “A strong general practice keeps people healthy by giving them the care they need in their community. I chose to become a general practitioner so that I could spend time with my patients and care for them holistically, but now the system does not allow me to do that.

“GPs are under immense pressure and patient safety is at risk – we urgently need our government to listen and work with us to save our surgeries.”